h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I don't understand this sentence: "Depending upon the face showing the impact of the photons in the beam will either push or pull at the plate that is rigged with connectors." I'm sure something's missing...

No. That's right.

"Depending upon the face showing the impact of the photons in the beam will either push or pull at the plate that is rigged with connectors."

The previous sentence identifies that at the end of the device is a plate which is showing either a black or a mirrored face.

The impact of the photons, according to Pedrick, will either push - if black, as the colour 'absorbs' light and is effectively in receipt of a 'pushing' impact - or pull - if mirrored, as the surface reflects light which exerts a kind of 'tackiness' that pulls the plate as it bounces off.

Depending on whether black or mirrored, the plate will have connectors behind or in front, respectively, to make the circuit following a sufficient impact.

Ahaa, so it's "Depending upon the face showing, the impact of the photons in the beam will either push or pull at the plate that is rigged with connectors."

Your sentence is ambivalent, in that it could also be "Depending upon the face showing the impact of the photons, [missing noun] in the beam will either push or pull at the plate that is rigged with connectors."

Or it could be "Depending upon the face showing the impact of the photons in the beam, [missing noun] will either push or pull at the plate that is rigged with connectors."

I suggest that you add a comma to clarify exactly what you mean for idiots like myself.

Ahaa, so it's "Depending upon the face showing, the impact of the photons in the beam will either push or pull at the plate that is rigged with connectors."

Your sentence is ambivalent, in that it could also be "Depending upon the face showing the impact of the photons, [missing noun] in the beam will either push or pull at the plate that is rigged with connectors."

Or it could be "Depending upon the face showing the impact of the photons in the beam, [missing noun] will either push or pull at the plate that is rigged with connectors."

I suggest that you add a comma to clarify exactly what you mean for idiots like myself.

Time-space anomalies again. Hate those things.

Those dastardly sub-eds should really sort their grammatical skills out. Tsk-tsk.

If you'd put the comma there in the first place it would read okay now!

Too bad Pedrick doesn't even understand basic physics. Aside from the fact that the force (or pressure) light exerts on objects is really extremely small, it always pushes. That is because every photon bears a momentum and if it is absorbed (black surface) the moentum is transferred th the surface so the light pushes on it. If the light is reflected on a mirror the light returns with the same momentum but in the opposite direction which means that twice the original momentum was transferred to the mirror. So the light pushes too but with twice the force.

Have you read the footnote?

You beat me to it.

Pedrick was not a conventional inventor... He was a true thinker. He not only challenged science, he came at it full force - and sent Ginger to flank it. His lateral thinking probably attained angles that don't even have simple names. Einstein was a real thorn in his side and he didn't approve of most of the 'nonsense' Einstein had come up with.

On another piece of alternate level thinking, try:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A476822